Philadelphia Medicine Summer 2018 - 8

p h i l a m e d s o c .org

Feature

A Conversation with our Next President,

Max Mercado, MD

r. Mercado is a native of Puerto Rico
who has embraced Philadelphia as an
ideal second home. He founded Mercado
Medical Practice, LLC, in the city, where he has
created a welcoming and culturally sensitive care
center for his patients.

His work has earned him a string of honors,
including the Patients' Choice Award for nearly
every year from 2011 through 2018 for the Philadelphia area. He also received Compassionate
Doctor Recognition in 2013 through 2018; a Top 10 Doctor in
2014 for the "Internist in Fox Chase/Burholme" category; the
Patient Choice 5th anniversary award in 2017 and 2018, and the
On-Time Doctor award in 2018.
Dr. Mercado has served on an impressive list of professional
organizations, including the House of Delegates of the Pa. Medical
Society. He is a Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia,
as well as a member of the Catholic Medical Association and the
American College of Physicians, and a longtime member of the
Philadelphia County Medical Society.

What roadblocks did you have to overcome to practice medicine in the United
States?
Money, and the tools and mentorship to open
my own practice. I had no business experience.
Medical school teaches you to be an employee
not an employer. I was able to adapt well because
Philadelphia is like an extension of the island to
me. I'm thankful to Dr. Thomas McCarter who
helped me start my own practice

If you could recommend one book to medical students,
what would it be?
Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway, by Dr. Susan Jeffers.

What books do you have on your night stand right
now?
The Bible, several issues of the Philadelphia Medicine magazine
and the Medical Economics magazine and The Story of Joan of Arc
by Mark Twain.

Dr. Mercado, why did you want to be a doctor?

What has helped make you the doctor you are today?

I wanted to serve the needs of people I had grown up with in
Puerto Rico. Pursuing a career as a physician meant I would have
opportunities to work closely with them. I am especially interested
in helping the elderly - I was close to my grandparents growing
up. I feel that the older generations who built our nation into
what it is today deserve our respect and gratitude. They often feel
they are being treated as if they were members of a group instead
of individuals with their own unique medical needs.

Learning from patients while treating them. Patients have such
wisdom and I have learned that sometimes medicine is more of an
art than a science. They have taught me to listen and empathize
with where they are in their lives. They've taught me humility and
compassion.

What are the biggest changes you've seen in medicine
since starting your career?
In the early 2000s medicine started becoming "big corporate
medicine." More administrative positions opened at hospitals where
I worked. There was the growth of pharmacy benefit management
companies (PMBs). Medical professionals, particularly physicians,

Philadelphia Medicine : Summer 2018

http://philamedsoc.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Philadelphia Medicine Summer 2018